


Tête-à-tête

by RustedHeart



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Allison is a Good Friend, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Derek Likes Stiles, Getting Together, M/M, POV Derek, Stiles puts his foot in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-26
Updated: 2014-09-26
Packaged: 2018-02-18 21:49:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2363333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RustedHeart/pseuds/RustedHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wasn't used to this sort of behaviour. It just wasn't the done thing. He did not behave like this. All the same, Derek found himself driving the twenty minutes to the bookstore/coffeeshop for the third time that month.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tête-à-tête

He wasn’t used to this sort of behaviour. It just wasn’t the done thing. _He_ did not behave like this. All the same, Derek found himself driving the twenty minutes to the bookstore.

He had given up kidding himself. Yeah so the bookstore coffee shop made really great coffee, and the atmosphere was really nice and they had a really great selection of new and used books and sure the smell of books and coffee intermingling  appealed to his senses like nothing else but he had come to accept why he was driving twenty minutes across town for the third time this month when there was a B&N not a five minute walk from his apartment.

The barista cum clerk cum cashier.

Derek had never behaved like this, he had never pursued, or pined or any of that. He wasn’t a teenager, and even in his teenage years he had never behaved like that. In fact in the one and only relationship, if you can call sexual abuse a relationship, he had had, he’d been the pursuee, the prey.

The bookstore coffee shop was a quaint thing, is sat on a corner. On the one side a small law firm and on the other, a smaller boutique. In front was the bookstore and nestled between the well stocked shelves, scattered haphazardly through the shop were large, comfy reading chairs. Behind the front section was a small coffee shop. Made up of a few small tables, a bar and more reading chairs.

Each time Derek had come in the chairs around the shop, and even the tables, had been rearranged as if customers would move the furniture around to find the best spot. He had even seen the barista cum clerk cum cashier moving a chair at the request of an elderly lady.

The shop was family owned, Deaton had told him. It was almost as old as Beacon Hills. They specialised in the rare and odd but still kept up to date with the modern literary world. Their range included everything from contemporary to classic to the occult.

It had been in search of a hard to come by folk tale that he had found himself in the bookshop the first time. They had been dealing with the aftermath of mischievous creature and weren’t sure what it was. Derek had been sent to the bookshop while Laura and the rest of the pack tried to hunt it down.

The bookstore didn’t have a book with the folk tale they had been in search of but the barista cum clerk cum cashier had told him that he would do his best to track down one that did.

The book had become a mute point because after the pack had managed to track and capture the creature Lydia had put her Google skills to work. It turned out to be an Imp who had been cursed upon the town by a witch.

They tracked the witch down, she lived two states over and had received a parking ticket she felt she didn’t deserve. She was, ‘ _persuaded’_ to lift the curse and the imp had disappeared from its cage.

All the same, Derek found himself  returning to the book store to see if the  barista cum clerk cum cashier had managed to track down a copy. It was pathetic, it really was but what was he supposed to do? He didn’t even know if the barista cum clerk cum cashier was into guys, let alone him.

At first he told himself that he was returning to get the book because it would be helpful to the pack and that the coffee was so good. Then the barista cum clerk cum cashier had recommended several books to him and they had turned out to be really good. But now, en route to the book store yet again, he had confessed his ulterior motive to himself. More than that, he was going to find out, at the very least, what the barista cum clerk cum cashier’s name was and hopefully, if the feeling was mutual, his number.

He turned his Camaro onto the street, he could see the bookstore’s green-framed glass front, tinted to prevent damage to the books.  He could smell the distinct coffee/book smell and, though he wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, the scent that was uniquely the barista cum clerk cum cashier’s.

He found a parking, into which he parallel parked with the ease of an expert or werewolf. His signature leather jacket in hand he crossed the street and walked the short distance to the shop. He entered without hesitation and made his way to the till hoping that the barista cum clerk cum cashier was a cashier today. Alas a shorter, darker skinned man with an off centre jaw line  about the same age as the barista cum clerk cum cashier was behind the till.

He moved on to the back, maybe he was working as a barista today. No luck again. A beautiful brunette who seemed to be overflowing with charisma was performing that role, she was talking animatedly with the guy behind the till while she prepared something for a customer, it was all part of the charm of the bookstore.  The barista cum clerk cum cashier must be stacking the shelves or something.

He meandered through the shop hoping to catch a whiff of the person he had come here to see. He had walked his way through every isle three times when the brunette on barista duty came up to him.

“Anything I can help you with sir?”  
“No” he answered curtly before managing to rein in his frustration, “I'm sorry, rough day. I'm actually looking for the other guy who works here. Tall, pale, hazel eyes, talks with his hands?”  
“Oh Stiles?”  
“I uh, Stiles?”  
“Stiles. He works here with me Scott and Danny. I guess that makes you tall, handsome and grumpy. Oh od don’t tell him I told you that.” She blushed prettily, “He’s on lunch but should be back any minute. Can I get you a coffee or something while you wait? On the house of course.”  
“Uh,” he responded eloquently. _Tall, handsome and grumpy? Well at least he I made an impression._ “Thanks, Americano please.”  
“Sure coming right up.”

He followed her back to the coffee shop area and took a seat at the bar. A short while later she passed his coffee to him along with a small milk jug and a few packets of sugar. He ignored the sugar but added some milk. While he stirred the brunette began making small talk.

“Stiles says you're looking for a rare book, are you a collector? Allison by the way.”  
Derek had never been one for small talk but in an attempt to make up for his earlier gruffness and to try dispel his ‘grumpy’ label he made an effort.  
“Derek. No I’m not a collector.” _God I'm awful at this._  
“Oh?” she lifted the end in a question.  
“I…it’s for research.”  
“Oh? That's cool is it…” she was cut off by the barista cum clerk cum cashier, _Stiles_ , walking in.

“Scotty my man. Good to see you!” He said with a loud, relaxed voice totally oblivious to the few customers dotted throughout the store.   
“You saw me like an hour ago.” The guy behind the till replied.  
“Yeah well I missed you Scotty boy,” he said dumping his messenger bag on the counter by the till. “Anything happen while I was out.”  
Scott had been about to reply when Stiles just kept talking.  
“ ‘course not. Nothing ever happens in this town. Any ways I totally saw tall, handsome and grumpy’s car around the corner. Maybe he’ll come by later to see if…”  
“Stiles,” Allison called obviously trying to help him not stick his foot in it. Derek smiled a small smile.  
“Oh hey Allison.” He called across the shop even though he couldn’t see her. “I wonder how I'm going to tell him that there are no copies…”  
“Stiles…” she tried again.  
“…in the country. He’s probably going to be soooo pissed when he realises that I've only been stringing him along. All I want is for him to give me his…”  
“Stiles!” she exclaimed stomping her foot.  
“Oh my god! What Allison?”  
“Come here, there's someone I want you to meet.”   
Derek was sure that his replying sigh could be heard all the way to back even without werewolf senses.   
She smiled sheepishly, ‘I want to say that he’s not always like this but..” she shrugged and Derek laughed quietly to himself.  
“What is it Allison I... Oh god… oh god no… no, no, no!”  
“Tall, dark and grumpy?”  
“Oh my Ggod no!”   
To Derek it looked like Stiles was contemplating whether or not he should run. He laughed some more, this time loud enough for others to hear.  
“So I guess you know about the book.” Stiles was rubbing the back of his head guiltily.  
“About that,” Derek said self consciously, “we uh… we uh found the information we needed online later that day…” The least he could do was share Stiles’ embarrassment.  
“Oh? So why did you come back?”  
“I uh… are you really going to make me say it out loud?”  
“Uh yeah.”  
“To see you.”  
“Me?”  
“Yes.”  
“Oh. So you like what? Like me?”  
“Oh my od Stiles, you are making this so awkward! Here take this,” Allison held out a cup of what smelled like decaf, “and you two go sit overt there and talk.” She smiled at Derek before making a shooing gesture.

Derek picked up  his still full coffee and followed Stiles. He chose a table in the far corner.

Stiles smiled sheepishly at him, “So you like me huh?”  
“Yeah, guess I do. Derek.” Derek held out his hand.   
“Stiles, but I guess you figured that much out huh.”  
“Yeah, it’s much less of a mouth full than _barista cum clerk cum cashier_.”  
“Oh my god. That's so cute. We all take turns at the different duties. So if you don’t need the book is there anything else I can help you with today?”  
“Well, I finally decided to find out what your name is and to maybe get your number.” Derek could feel the tips of his ears burning.  
“Oh my od your ears.” Derek blushed harder.   
“You can have my number,” Stiles paused dramatically, “ _if_ you tell me why you needed an original German folktale about Rumpelstiltskin.”  
“I…Uh  it was uh… for a… uh”  
“For your pack?”  
“Pack?”  
“Yeah your pack you're a _Were_ aren’t you? And I heard about a witch’s curse downtown…”  
“You, you know?” Derek knew he should deny their existence, for all he knew Stiles could be a hunter but something told him that Stiles was safe, he smelt safe anyhow.  
“Yeah, Scott and me got attacked by a rouge _omeg_ in high school and after lots of research I found out what it was and Allison comes from a family of hunters,” Derek felt himself tense as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled, he could feel a growl stuck in his throat, “chill, she was disgusted by it, the murder and torture, she hasn’t seen or spoken to them since she turned eighteen. Totally estranged herself from them.”   
Derek felt himself relaxing again. _Well that's one secret I won’t have to keep_.  
“Yeah I'm a wolf, a beta.”  
“Yeah? Danny’s an omeg. He hasn’t been able to find  pack who will accept him for what he is.”  
“What he is?” Derek found himself asking.  
“Yeah, he’s gay.”  
“Oh yeah there are some ‘ _traditional_ ’ packs out there.”  
“But that's not a problem in your pack? For you I mean?”  
“No, absolutely not. Most of our pack aren’t even wolves.”  
“Wait you don’t have to be a wolf to be a pack-member?”   
“Not necessarily.”  
“Oh.”  
Derek could see Stiles had more questions, probably would never run out of questions but he had to work and Derek didn’t want to be the reason he got into shit.  
“Yeah. So have I earned you number?”  
“Oh yeah definitely. Here,” Stiles held out a hand for Derek’s phone while he spoke, “I have like a million questions. I get off at six. Do you want to grab a coffee or a drink or something?”  
“Yes I’d like that.” He dialled the number, mostly so that Stiles would have his number but also to make sure that it wasn’t a fake number. He heard the buzzing of the phone in Stiles’ pocket and ended the call. “ How about that lounge on seventeenth?” they played good music and the food was great plus they were werewolf friendly.  
“The Triskele? I heard they have a guest list you have to book a week in advance just to get on.”  
“Not if the owner is your Alpha.” Ok so that was another reason.  
“Oh my od ok yeah totally! Seven?”  
“Seven.”  
“Seven, see you then.”

Derek waved to Allison on his way out.

He had a date. Derek Hale had a date…at Laura’s lounge. _Ohgod what have I done?_

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](http://rusted-heart-syndrome.tumblr.com/), where you can prompt me (Please!!)
> 
> It’s a personal blog so there’s hardly any fandom stuff but a follow is always appreciated


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